Newspaper Page Text
The Madison County Journal
NEXT WEEK
The MCHS girls’ basketball
team started region tourna
ment play after press time. See
next week’s Journal for results.
IB
Thursday, February 18, 2010
www.MainstreetnewsSPORTS. com
Ben Munro/ ben@mainstreetnews.com (706) 795-2567
Boys’ Basketball
Diamond
Raiders
open season
Wednesday
Madison County High
School's baseball season begins
Wednesday when the Red Raiders
take on Alcovy, the first game of a
26-game schedule this year.
The season opener starts at 5:30
p.m.
Alcovy advanced to the second
round of the Class AAAA play
offs in 2009.
The Red Raiders, coming off a
21-8 season last
year, will play
six non-region
games prior to
their 20-game
region sched
ule, which starts
March 10.
That out-
o f - r e g i o n
slate includes
a March 6
matchup with
powerhouse
Brookwood,
a semifinals
team in Class
AAAAA last year.
Madison County will also play
two games against Stephens
County, a state tournament team
in Class AAA last year, and two
against Jefferson, which advanced
to the second round of the Class
AA state tournament last year.
Madison County has posted
back-to-back 20 win seasons and
consecutive trips to the first round
of the state tournament. But the
team also lost eight seniors from
last year who made up the bulk of
those squads.
Madison County unofficially
— See Baseball schedule on 2B
COMING
UP
•vs. Hart
Co. today
(Thurs.),
ihome,
scrimmage,
5:55 p.m.
•vs. Alcovy,
Wed. @
home, 5:30
p.m.
Matthew “Raybo” Robinson
charges to third base last
year. The diamond Raiders
open their season Wednesday.
Ben Munro/staff
Prep Basketball
Bradley Raines gets airborne Tuesday night in Madison County’s state tournament-clinching victory over Monroe
Area in the region tourament. The Red Raiders return to action Friday. Ben Munro/staff
MCHS’s state tourney drought will end
Red Raiders to face Winder-
Barrow in region semifinals
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetne ws .com
I f Madison County was ecstatic
over clinching its first state tour
nament berth in 13 years, the Red
Raiders kept it to themselves - at least
COMING UP
•Vs. Winder-Barrow, Fri, 5:30
p.m. @ Monroe Area High School
on the court.
There were a few smiles and fist
pumps as Madison County (21-5) exited
the floor following its 67-55 victory
Tuesday over Monroe Area, but, overall,
the Red Raiders had the look of a team
on a business trip.
"We expected this,” Madison County
senior Bradley Raines said, noting that
the Red Raiders were out to avenge
a 69-48 loss to Monroe Area back in
December. "They had beat us earlier in
— See Boys’ basketball on Page 3B
Red Raider
feel-good
story will
continue
As Larry Munson would
say, the clock moved like
molasses.
That’s how the fourth
quarter felt Tuesday night in
the region tournament for all
those emotionally vested in
the Madison County High
School boys’ basketball
program.
With a long-awaited state
tournament berth on the line,
the Red Raiders withstood
an early fourth-quarter
charge by
Monroe
Area and
won going
away,
67-55 to
lock up a
spot at state
for the first
time in 13
years.
“Yes, it
was very
much the
longest
fourth quarter of my life,”
Red Raider coach Steve
Crouse.
But the wait is over now.
Madison County, which
had suffered 11 losing sea
sons out of the last 12, is a
resounding 21-5. It has big
ger games to play. After all,
the team is trying to win a
region title.
But Tuesday's victory still
called for reflection.
When asked what it meant
that the program would
finally return to the state
tournament, Crouse not
only thought of the players
that currently occupy his
roster, he thought back to all
those guys he coached who
didn’t get this opportunity.
He thought of all the guys
whose careers ended in the
region tournament.
“I’m grateful to every kid
who’s ever played for us and
worked hard with the dream
of going to state,” Crouse
said.
Well put, coach.
— See Munro on 2B
Ben Munro
From the
sports desk
Wrestling
Weather cancellations push
all MCHS wrestlers to state
By Ben Munro
ben@mainstreetnews.com
The eight Madison County wrestlers who
qualified for the East Sectional tournament have
advanced directly to the state tournament at the
Gwinnett Arena — with an assist from Mother
Nature, of course.
Max Nash (112-lb.), Cody Phillips (119-lb.),
Colton Phillips (125-lb.), Isaac Ruiz (145-lb.),
Kyle Bates (152-lb.), Kyle Gordon (189-lb.),
COMING UP
•@State wrestling meet, Gwinnett
Arena, Thursday through Saturday
Tyler Adams (215-lb.) and Matt Dove (285-lb.)
started competition at an expanded state tourna
ment today (Thursday) since the state sectionals
— which served as a state qualifier — were
— See Wrestling on Page 3B
Kyle Bates, shown here earlier in the season, is one of
eight MCHS wrestlers particpating at state. Ben Munro/staff
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